Are there any "small towns" in the DC/Baltimore area?

[Neesy228]

I want to reinforce LoveMyDogTheDoodle, tiny sentence. Avoid Prince Georges (usually referred to as PG) County as though it was the plague. The sucks suck, and ms13 is moving into a lot of the belt way communities. Also, the northern part of Charles county is slowly becoming infected and has horrible traffic. There is also areas in PG that have been hit hard with foreclosures, so the prices might look good until you see the surrounding neighborhood.

Because of the area traffic and the lack of parking, telecommuting is becoming very common and almost a requirement. For example, I work on the Suitland Federal Center, we do not have enough parking available for all the employees that do not have mass transit/ buss service to drive in and to park. So, you might want to pick a house where your husband will have a home office/ quite space.

I live in Calvert County and have about a 1 hr commute to Suitland.

Duely noted! Thank you for this information!

Take a look at Crownsville in Anne Arundel County. We are 10 minutes from Annapolis and 20 minutes from Baltimore. On the weekend, I can get to DC in 35 minutes. During rush hour, driving to DC takes around an hour. The area is all single family homes, with prices ranging from $200k to over $1M. Lots tend to start at 1/3 acre and go up from there. Many communities are water-privileged -- our community has multiple private beaches and boat ramps. The elementary schools are small -- my kids have approximately 20 kids in their classes and 3 classes per grade. Our neighborhood is very safe and we socialize with our neighbors. I can be at a nice mall or a nice restaurant in a few minutes. PM me if you want more info.

I've added Crownsville to my list! I'm going to PM you to ask you a little more about your local schools. Thanks a bunch!

 

[hogsfanwife]

So nice to see so many that live close. I live in Severna Park. Chose this specific area b/c of schools and it was the closest to work- right on DC line- takes 45-60 min but is a frustrating drive at times. Even on the off roads around here, it can take a long time to go a few miles- the traffic around Annapolis gets bad especially on Fridays in the summer as everyone heads to the beach

There are good schools, but I haven't found them small. You'll probably be best to visit and check out different areas to see what feels right- Good luck!

 

[MickeyHereWeCome!]

I live in New Market, right down the road from Mt. Airy. We love, love, love it. This whole area had a very small town feel to us. We have a very involved community, excellent elementary school (National Blue Ribbon school), parks and just a lot going on.

We also live in New Market, and love it here! I love having that small-town feel, but being able to drive to major stores within 10-15 minutes. We've lived here for 14 years. The schools are great, and the community is warm and welcoming!

 

[LoveMyDogTheDoodle]

What about Annapolis or a neighborhood outside of Annapolis? You wouldn't have a big lot, but there are nice areas there. Reston would be a haul. What about St. Michael's? It's a cute, small town. Expensive but cute. If you go out that way, you can get to the beach easily.

I love visiting St. Michael's but the commute would be a nightmare! An hour at least to Annapolis, and then another 45 minutes to D.C. or Baltimore, and that's on a good day. Crownsville is nice, and also part of Anne Arundel County. Also look into Southern Anne Arundel County; very rural and more affordable than Central Anne Arundel County.

 

[Neesy228]

I love visiting St. Michael's but the commute would be a nightmare! An hour at least to Annapolis, and then another 45 minutes to D.C. or Baltimore, and that's on a good day. Crownsville is nice, and also part of Anne Arundel County. Also look into Southern Anne Arundel County; very rural and more affordable than Central Anne Arundel County.

Could you tell me if there are any specific areas in Southern Anne Arundel Co. that you would recommend? Thank you!

 

[Mrs.Malone]

Edgewater, Riva, Davidsonville--all great but can be very pricey.

People who haven't lived in the area for a few years might recommend northern Charles County. Don't do it!! Things have changed and it's a traffic nightmare there, worse than a lot of northern Virginia. Plus, crime in the area has gotten worse and worse.

 

[RangerPooh]

I agree with the others who said to avoid Charles County. When DH accepted a job offer in DC this is where we moved, Waldorf to be exact. Due to traffic it took him about 2-2.5 hours each way to make it into DC for work each day. It got to the point where if he wasn't out of the house and on the road by 4:30am he was screwed. Telecommuting days were a must, be not everyday. And parking in DC was expensive! Needless to say we called it quits and returned to the west coast after only a year. I will say that some parts of Charles County appeared to be nicer than others, but overall we weren't impresed. There was more crime than we'd like and we just didn't care of the feel of the community. Almost all of DH's coworkers lived in Virginia; Alexandria and Reston I believe, both pricier areas.

 

[My2CrazyGirls]

Could you tell me if there are any specific areas in Southern Anne Arundel Co. that you would recommend? Thank you!

Look at Lothian and Harwood. We drive down that way every fall to a farm that has a wonderful Fall Festival. It is more rural and looks peaceful. I am not sure the cost to live there. If you give us a ballpark budget we can be more helpful. The advice will be very different if you want a 200,000 house or a 600,000 house. Although I am not even sure 200K home exist in this area (unless they are tiny, a major fixer upper, a bad area, or way too far out to commute)

 

[punkin]

It's a consulting job...so his work is going to be anywhere between DC and Baltimore to Annapolis to Reston....we're trying to find somewhere in the middle without the chaos.

Can I just give a different idea....the real "middle" of this geographic area (and it is huge--the commutes will be awful) is actually Washington DC itself. It additionally has the plus that commuting from DC will put you going away from most of the worst traffic. Now, DC definitely has its issues (school system, crime in some areas) but there are some very nice areas if you have the money to afford them.

 

[Neesy228]

OP again!

Thank you everyone for the wonderful suggestions...I have one more question! Does anyone have a real estate agent you could recommend? We are going to explore the area and I'm interested in someone who works in the sykesville/eldersburg area and someone in the Crownsville/Edgewater area. You can PM with suggestions so that there isn't any conflict with the DIS advertising rules etc.

I appreciate everyone's help so much! You've made the learning curve much easier for me.

 

[GrnMtnMan]

Can I just give a different idea....the real "middle" of this geographic area (and it is huge--the commutes will be awful) is actually Washington DC itself. It additionally has the plus that commuting from DC will put you going away from most of the worst traffic. Now, DC definitely has its issues (school system, crime in some areas) but there are some very nice areas if you have the money to afford them.

+1. Commutes are easy. Conveniences are nearby. Traffic is quiet on the weekend.

I'm biased though. http://www.palisadesdc.org/

The Palisades area is located in Northwest Washington along the Potomac River, between Key Bridge and Chain Bridge. Hugging the Potomac River with its high bluffs and breathtaking sunsets, the Palisades is a treasure of green spaces in the nation's capital...

Our area is laced with winding parks where dappled light filters through canopies of old trees. It's filled with quiet streets and dotted with houses all of varying styles, from a loving home originally built as a late 19th century dance hall, to bungalows ordered from Sears catalogs, to detailed Victorian designs to the more modern homes. Ask anyone why we consider this a small town in a big city and you're likely to get the same answer: the people who live here.

They are some of the friendliest in Washington. We're an eclectic mix of all ages and sizes, lots of families (and pets) and folks with wide-ranging interests and incomes. But we all care about our community and give a lot to make it special.

Whether it's maintaining flower beds in the median lining MacArthur Boulevard, rebuilding the children's playground and landscaping at our local Recreation Center, or creating our own tax-exempt fund to support community projects, this is definitely a community of doers.
Our annual July 4 parade, sponsored by local businesses and Palisades t-shirt sales, is a DC tradition after more than 39 years. And increasingly, we're becoming the choice location for a growing number of educational institutions, including our outstanding public Key Elementary School. Our merchants are friendly and our restaurants include some of the best in the city.

 

[punkin]

+1. Commutes are easy. Conveniences are nearby. Traffic is quiet on the weekend.

I'm biased though. http://www.palisadesdc.org/

The Palisades are very nice and quiet and have a nice community feel, but I have to re-iterate that it is financially out of reach for most people. If OP can afford it, I would definitely recommend looking in NW DC. There are many very nice, quiet, EXPENSIVE neighborhoods.

 

[Neesy228]

Can I just give a different idea....the real "middle" of this geographic area (and it is huge--the commutes will be awful) is actually Washington DC itself. It additionally has the plus that commuting from DC will put you going away from most of the worst traffic. Now, DC definitely has its issues (school system, crime in some areas) but there are some very nice areas if you have the money to afford them.

+1. Commutes are easy. Conveniences are nearby. Traffic is quiet on the weekend.

I'm biased though. http://www.palisadesdc.org/

I appreciate your thoughts, but to be completely honest, I want to stay as far away from cities as possible...a pocket of security in a gigantic city isn't appealing to me. I'm very much a small town girl. Thank you though for taking the time to add your perspective!

 

[punkin]

I appreciate your thoughts, but to be completely honest, I want to stay as far away from cities as possible...a pocket of security in a gigantic city isn't appealing to me. I'm very much a small town girl. Thank you though for taking the time to add your perspective!

gigantic!!!!!

OK, DC is barely 68 square miles. Compare that to NYC with about 6720 square miles. Additionally there is a height restriction on buildings in DC so there are no skyscrapers in the district at all. It is really very, very small for a city, but I understand if you prefer to live somewhere else. I don't live there either. I just think it shouldn't be something you dismiss because you think it's gigantic. It's really far from being gigantic, believe me.

My biggest concern for you is your DH's commute. Unless you live somewhere with comparable traffic, you can have no idea how awful it can be. A trip that takes 15 minutes with no traffic on the beltway can drag into a two hour ordeal on a bad day.

 

[GrnMtnMan]

I was once small-town boy. Town was so small that there was no high-school, so the state (Vermont) paid the tuition at the local seminary.

I understand your preferences, but want to make sure you understand the consequences..the most prominent being an extraordinary amount of time spent commuting by your husband.

The fact is that the greater DC area is choked with traffic. Objective studies show this consistently that there are few other metro areas with worse traffic....but those studies are really about suburban commuter who drive to urban/job-center cores. I live and work in the city....around 3 miles each way, all through back streets...I go through twice as many stop signs as traffic lights.

Why do I have small house with no land? Simple, I like seeing my kids awake. I get around 10 minuets in the morning to see them, and then about an hour in the evening before bet time has to start. If I had a commute to a far-out suburb, I'd be a weekend-only father.

I strongly urge you to test the commutes to see if your family will be okay with the amount of time your husband will be on the road in traffic.

I too would love to live on a ranch with a single stop-light in the center of town. The fact is that if you find a place like that in the DC area, you're going to significantly curtail the amount of time your husband will be spending with the family.

 

[Neesy228]

gigantic!!!!!

OK, DC is barely 68 square miles. Compare that to NYC with about 6720 square miles. Additionally there is a height restriction on buildings in DC so there are no skyscrapers in the district at all. It is really very, very small for a city, but I understand if you prefer to live somewhere else. I don't live there either. I just think it shouldn't be something you dismiss because you think it's gigantic. It's really far from being gigantic, believe me.

My biggest concern for you is your DH's commute. Unless you live somewhere with comparable traffic, you can have no idea how awful it can be. A trip that takes 15 minutes with no traffic on the beltway can drag into a two hour ordeal on a bad day.

Well...I wouldn't live in NYC either. You have to understand that I have lived in a small rural community with a population of about 40K for the past 15 years -- and I have loved it. Although it may be only 68 square miles the population density makes it a gigantic city.

Thank you for the warning about the traffic. I do realize it can be a nightmare. Most of his work will be closer to Baltimore than DC.

 

[Neesy228]

I was once small-town boy. Town was so small that there was no high-school, so the state (Vermont) paid the tuition at the local seminary.

I understand your preferences, but want to make sure you understand the consequences..the most prominent being an extraordinary amount of time spent commuting by your husband.

The fact is that the greater DC area is choked with traffic. Objective studies show this consistently that there are few other metro areas with worse traffic....but those studies are really about suburban commuter who drive to urban/job-center cores. I live and work in the city....around 3 miles each way, all through back streets...I go through twice as many stop signs as traffic lights.

Why do I have small house with no land? Simple, I like seeing my kids awake. I get around 10 minuets in the morning to see them, and then about an hour in the evening before bet time has to start. If I had a commute to a far-out suburb, I'd be a weekend-only father.

I strongly urge you to test the commutes to see if your family will be okay with the amount of time your husband will be on the road in traffic.

I too would love to live on a ranch with a single stop-light in the center of town. The fact is that if you find a place like that in the DC area, you're going to significantly curtail the amount of time your husband will be spending with the family.

Point taken. Thanks for your thoughts!

 

[GrnMtnMan]

Most of his work will be closer to Baltimore than DC.

This is super important. The drive around the beltway into Virgina can be a nightmare...and there's no back-road ways to get there beacuse of the Potomac and a limited number of bridges. The area between DC and Baltimore has lots of back-road options.

 

[Judique]

+1. Commutes are easy. Conveniences are nearby. Traffic is quiet on the weekend.

I'm biased though. http://www.palisadesdc.org/

Key is a wonderful school! My oldest daughter attended 4th and 5th grade there.

I still get their notices for the annual xmas tree sale and sometimes drive down and buy one to support them.

Daughter made many friends there and still keeps up with a couple of the girls. Great community!

For those who don't know, Key Elementary is a DC Public school.

 

[vicki_c]

My friend lives in Eldersburg and is in the process of selling or just sold her house. I will ask her if she has any realtor recommendations for you.